Light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be utilized in light emitter devices or packages for providing white light (e.g., perceived as being white or near-white), and they are developing as replacements for incandescent, fluorescent, and metal halide high-intensity discharge (HID) light products. Conventional emitter devices or packages can incorporate components such as metallic traces or mounting surfaces which can become tarnished, corroded, or otherwise degraded when exposed to various undesirable chemicals and/or chemical vapors. Such chemicals and/or chemical vapors can enter conventional emitter devices, for example, by permeating an encapsulant filling material disposed over such components. In one aspect, undesirable chemicals and/or chemical vapors can contain sulfur, sulfur-containing compounds (e.g., sulfides, sulfites, sulfates, SOx), chlorine and bromine containing complexes, nitric oxide or nitrogen dioxides (e.g., NOx), and oxidizing organic vapor compounds which can permeate the encapsulant and physically degrade various components within the emitter device by corroding, oxidizing, darkening, and/or tarnishing such components. Such degradation can adversely affect brightness, reliability, and/or thermal properties of conventional emitter devices over time and can further adversely affect the performance of the devices during operation.
Despite the availability of various light emitter devices in the marketplace, a need remains for devices and components having improved chemical and physical resistance and related methods for preventing undesirable chemicals and/or chemical vapors from reaching and subsequently degrading components within the devices. A need also exists for devices with improved brightness. Notably, devices and methods disclosed herein can prevent degradation of optical properties of devices or packages incorporating silver (Ag), Ag alloy, Ag-plated, or Ag-containing substrates or components by preventing tarnishing of the Ag-containing substrates or components.